Page 56 of Eloping with the Laird
‘Are you sure you even killed him? He could have been attacked by thieves and he could have taken a fall. You don’t know if you caused it. He was a fool to ride alone at night,’ he countered.
‘But I also cannot defend my actions and say with any certainty that I was not the cause.’
‘But your intention was also not to kill him.’
‘None of that shall matter,’ she said.
‘Is it possible he told someone of his quarrel with you before he set out?’
Her shoulders slumped. ‘Aye. He told his mother everything. She doted on him and he on her. He could have told her all that happened, but I also think she would have accused me then if she knew of it.’ She worried her lip and then covered her face with her hands in frustration.
Taking a deep breath, she stood. ‘But none of this matters. I wish to focus on you, your wellness and our future...whatever remains of it.’ She squared her shoulders and smiled at him, despite the downward pull of the corners of her eyes.
How he loved her.
He froze at the realisation that he did love her. His chest tightened.
‘Rory?’ Her brow crinkled.
‘Aye,’ he answered and forced a smile. What a horrible time to realise he had fallen in love with his wife, which had definitely not been part of their arrangement. He ruffled his hair and flopped back on the pillows.
‘Will you tell me what that was you signed? Why you were in such a hurry to have it messengered back tonight?’
His eyes fluttered closed. Exhaustion was pressing on him heavy and thick. ‘I needed to ensure you and the babe were protected, and such an agreement was the only way. Uncle and I have been in negotiations for a while now with the Camerons. Your note was not the first time I heard of these accusations against you in regard to Peter’s death. The Frasers had spread word that you might have been responsible for Peter’s death long before they sent you that note. Their claims, your father alleging I had stolen you away and of course my failing health all added to our vulnerability. I had to act. To protect the clan and you.’
‘You knew of their claims? Why did you not tell me?’ Hurt registered in her features and he cupped her face with his hands, revelling in the soft, smooth feel of her skin.
‘Because it didn’t matter to me whether you were responsible or not. But I should have told you. There was no reason for me to keep such a secret from you. I’m sorry.’ Was he sinking into a cloud? He could hardly stay awake.
‘What was in that document?’ she asked again. ‘What is it that couldn’t wait until morn?’
He cleared his throat, struggling to speak. ‘I made an agreement with the Camerons. They will be our allies against the Frasers and your father, or any other clans, if needed. Many clans seem hell-bent on watching Blackmore crumble to the ground and will fight over the scraps of what remains. Even now they wait at our village walls for the gossip of my demise. They hope to dismantle us piece by piece.’
She pressed a damp, cool cloth to his forehead and he sighed. He was still sinking further into that cloud, his muscles relaxing. The ache in his abdomen was now a dull throb rather than a roaring pain.
‘What did you have to promise them to align with us?’ Her fingertips ran through his hair and skimmed along his cheek. ‘Knowing the Camerons, they will have asked for something substantial. I am sure of it.’
He sighed aloud at the pleasant rippling sensation along his limbs, an echo of her touch. Her faint scent of roses and dew filled his nose, and he smiled. It seemed little that they asked in order to keep her safe. Very little indeed, especially knowing she was already with child. His beautiful child.
‘I promised them Blackmore and with it my men if I had no male heir born within a year of my death.’
Chapter Twenty-Five
The words hit her like a punch to the gut, and Moira struggled for breath. They would lose everything if she did not produce an heir, a male heir at that, within a year of Rory’s death? What if she lost her babe as she had before? What if it was not a boy? She froze. He would lose everything and so would his people. The cloth slid from her fingers and down the side of Rory’s face. When he did not move, she started and pressed a hand to his cheek. ‘Rory? Rory?’ No response. She shook his shoulders to wake him. His head lolled to the side.
The door opened.
‘Doctor!’ Moira rushed to him. ‘He was awake, but now I cannot rouse him again.’ She clutched the apron around her waist and paced the room.
‘If you’ll allow me a few minutes,’ he asked.
‘Of course.’ She left hastily and never broke stride as she rushed to the solarium. Once she entered the space with its fresh, green scents and soft florals she released a breath. She walked to the trio of plants now in their larger decorative pots by the familiar bay of windows and sighed.
‘Has it come to this, my lovelies?’ she asked, stroking the leafy stems with care. ‘I have what I long wished for that day at Glenhaven and now I do not want it. Not at all. I want my husband to live. I don’t want to be alone. Not anymore.’
As usual, the tiny plants with their waxy leaves did nothing but listen, which used to fill her with solace. All she wished to do now was scream from the cliff side. She had to figure out what ailed her husband and quickly. The truth to what was happening to him had to be somewhere in this castle if he was being poisoned as the doctor had said. She decided to return to their chamber to see Rory and the doctor. Perhaps they could work together and he could help her understand how or what might be poisoning her husband and locate the source. The doctor was packing up his instruments in his satchel when she entered the bedchamber.
‘How is he?’ she asked.
